Final Journey – Day Three – Oct 21, 2013

Awoke to another gorgeous autumn day in the Georgia mountains. One thing for sure, I caught up on my sleep, I slept 8 hours straight, awoke at 4:19 to go out and look at the stars, then dove back into the sleeping bag for 3 more hours of shut eye. One small annoyance from yesterday was an incessant headache above my left eye, which I attributed to lack of sleep. I relegated it to “check engine light” status. It was a warning that I needed to keep tabs on, but nothing that would take this vehicle off the road for repairs. Turns out I was right. No headache today.

It took a while for the sun to light up our ridge. We stayed in the tent and cooked dried eggs, Italian sausage and cheese burritos (the heaviest breakfast we had), brewed French press coffee and settled into the day – maybe a little too much. We didn’t get underway until 10:00. Time to start making mileage if we were going to finish on schedule. Lighter packs and descending trail on a simply beautiful day. As always, the warmup miles are an unknown. Today I was a bit stiffer than usual. I would have actually preferred a climb vs a descent, which is tougher on the knees. You are constantly braking, and the knees take most of the strain. The ski poles are a big help.

The trail became forgiving and we covered the first two miles under turning oaks in under an hour to arrive at Sasafras Gap There was a campsite off the beaten track. We sat on logs for a few minutes before I descended to a spring to tank up. A group of 5 college aged north bounders arrived at the gap, then moved on. Lots of north bounders this trip. We are the contrarians.

Now carrying 2 quarts of water each and needed to make afternoon mileage. Lots of little ups and downs along the ridge, which made for a pleasant hike, More woodprcker sightings, as well as gray squirrels and two hawks from an overlook. The big climb of the day was Tray Mountain – 1,000′ in about a mile. Again the southern trail was forgiving. The climb was steady and long, as opposed to so many New England approaches that are straight up. Nonetheless, it was work. This is when I need to keep in tune with my demeanor.

Sometimes, as today, there’s a little voice that starts saying, “Why are you carrying 70 lbs up a mountain at your age? 30 years ago, you were practically running up trails like this. Now you are barely making progress.” If I’ve learned anything over the past several years on the trail, it’s this: “Change the channel”.If that little voice becomes the loudest one, I’ll be miserable. This isn’t 30 years ago. It’s now. And now is pretty damned good. I’m still able to do this. And that is the blessing.

One of my childhood friends, John, has ALS. My thoughts turned to him during my climb up Tray Mountain. John loves the outdoors and would love to be doing what I am today, But the fact of the matter is that the mountain he is climbing is far greater than those I face on the trail. Just thinking about that put a fine point on how lucky I am to be here and squelched that little voice completely. Thank you, John. I admire the way you face your climbs more than you know, my friend.

At 5.9 miles, I emerged onto the summit ridge and junctioned with the side trail to the Tray Mountain Shelter. Stopped just long enough to hear voices from the campsite. I turned and climbed the last .3 to the rocky summit. Now standing at 4,430′ and the highest point between here and Springer Mountain. There were viewpoints to either side of the mountain and I was bathed in bright sunshine. A blessing indeed, Soon a college aged kid arrived from the south, took a quick peak at the view, inquired about the shelter and disappeared.

Wayne was the next to arrive at the suddenly rush hour summit. We sat and split a granola bar. Now a guy more our age showed up. It was the college kid;s father. We had a great chat. They were headed from Springer Mountain to Fontana Dam. He was incredulous at how long we’ve been doing the trail. Now 5:00 and time to make quick time down to camp.

Steady decent on long switchbacks (zig zagz) that make the down climbs easier. On the way, we passed a northbound woman with her dog asking about Tray Mountain shelter. Looks like it will be a popular place tonight. At least 5 people will be there. The knees were barking at me.

At 1.6 miles from the top of Tray Mountain, we bottomed out at the former site of the “Cheese Factory” where a New Englander established his business in the late 1700s. No remnants of that operation except the name. We set up the tent and moseyed down to the steam to fully tank up with water. One more big meal and 12 hours of sleep. Tomorrow will have more morning climbs. The afternoon looks much more sane. Good thing. My right leg is really sore.

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…one of the more enjoyable reads…

This is, quite simply, one of the more enjoyable reads I've had in quite some time. I'm not much of...

5.0

2015-01-05T16:22:35+00:00

This is, quite simply, one of the more enjoyable reads I've had in quite some time. I'm not much of a hiker myself, so I was grateful that the author didn't get lost in the minutiae of camping gear and such, and kept this very much accessible for the general reader. I was really happy to see that the author also took advantage of the medium, and had lots of interesting video clips, photos, maps and historical sidebars, which really helped to bring you along on the journey and give you a sense of time and place. Given the subject matter, I can't help but compare this to Bill Bryson's book, "A Walk in the Woods", in that the reader is drawn to the inner journey that these hikers are on over time, as much as the outward journey through the mountains. "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat Moon would be another example of the same concept. That, to me, is always the mark of any great travel book, and what makes this book stand out for the general reader. I found this to be very well written, with plenty of laugh out loud moments as I read this in bed at night (much to the chagrin of my trying-to-get-to-sleep wife), and I very much look forward to diving into the future volumes as they are released. ~ Charles Carbonneau (review from Goodreads.com)

http://feedthevision.com/testimonials/carbonneau/

…it drew me in…

I read this book at a friend’s suggestion and was surprised at how it drew me in even though I’m...

5.0

2015-01-05T16:30:11+00:00

I read this book at a friend’s suggestion and was surprised at how it drew me in even though I’m not a hiker. Ryan demystifies undertaking such a feat, and frankly inspired me to get outdoors. This is storytelling at its best. Somehow he makes it seem like walking 2,100 miles over a 28 year period with a 75-pound pack is doable. One would think that seeing pictures and video of some of the most beautiful places on earth would just be cool, but I am inspired to see some of these places first hand. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a great story, but also to anyone who could use a shot of inspiration in perseverance toward a long-term goal. ~ Myra Osgood (review from Goodreads.com)

http://feedthevision.com/testimonials/drew/

5.0

2

"Dreams begin when the winds of happenstance blow a gust across the path of your life."